#anchor: the diver

[a-titty-ninja]

「Goddess of Victory: Nikke - この夏の思い出の一コマをパシャリ📸」

[kyoukamybeloved]

“Such a shallow bond.”

for more soukoku web weaves

creds:

epithalamium - Louise Glück// art by @xieliancore // annunciation - Marie Howe// cowboy like me - Taylor Swift// queen of peace - Florence+the machine// from a classic greek play but i can’t remember which one// deathless - Catherynne M. Valente// art by @iztea // the dive from Clausen’s pier - Ann Packer// sad beautiful tragic - Taylor Swift// free - Florence+the machine// madness love// art by @muaviinu // unkown// never love an anchor - the crane wives// blinding - florence+the machine// wayward son - Rainbow Rowell// free - florence+the machine// ivy - Taylor Swift// p.d vulpe// art by @nittkach44 // sharp objects - Gillian Flynn// art by @dersacerj // by zee on medium// suburban legends - Taylor Swift// the crooked the craddle - the crane wives// art by @iztea// planet of love - Richard Siken// heavy in your arms - florence+the machine// i almost do - Taylor Swift// r.m drake// art by @twilicidity // bloodsport - Yves Olade// art by @yomeiu // p.d. vulpe// the moon will sing - the crane wives// anti-hero - Taylor Swift// the flesh i burned - Ritika Jyala// art by @nittkach44// cat’s eye - Margaret Atwood//shake it out - florence+the machine// anti-hero - Taylor Swift// grace - florence+the machine// art by @venusgoose // the secret diary of laura palmer - Jennifer Lynch//

tags (comment or send a message if you want to be added/removed):

@philzokman @dinosaur-mayonnaise @vivid-vices @pendragonstar @vinylbiohazard @fixation-central @sommmee @lotus-reblogs @galaxitic @gorotic @dazaisbbgrill @thesunshinebard @underthetree845 @whiteapplesandblackblood @pe4rl-diver @autistic-ranpo @the-gayest-sky-kid @amagami-hime @ricelover888 @sskk-brainrot @liyv @hypotheticallyhaunted @sigskk @oatmilkbasic @sempieternall @pastel-paramour @thornedarrow @springkitten @sproutingstars @ghostsinacoat @shroombunnies @cosmiclovehauntings

[lovelyjj]

Can you write a JJ maybank x reader where reader lived in the outer banks her whole life, but is kind of scared of water when it comes to swimming (basically can’t swim) and on a boat or at a beach party or something someone jokingly shoves her into the water and no one’s doing anything bc it’s like, how could she not know how to swim? But JJ catches on and saves her? That would be amazinggg ❤️

Diver Down

jj maybank x reader

wc: 1,027

**some dialogue from season 1: episode 1**

The weather was nice making it a good day to go out on the boat. The sun was warm on your skin and the air was crisp. After John B picked everyone up, you and the pogues were ready for a boat day.

You sailed through the marsh and JJ said, "Let me show you a party trick."

"I got this. It's gonna work."

JJ than proceeded to hold his beer bottle out in front of him, rim pointed at his mouth and had his mouth open.

The beer flew everywhere and you were laughing.

Suddenly, the boat came to abrupt halt and JJ was flung off the boat.

"Jesus Pope!" Kie exclaimed.

After you recovered from sliding forward you asked, "You okay JJ?"

"I think my heels touched the back of my head," JJ commented.

"You ok y/n?" John B asked.

"I'm fine. Thanks."

"Pope, what did you do?" JJ questioned.

"Sandbar. The channel changed." Pope said.

"No shit." JJ exclaimed.

Pope was standing up staring at the water when he said,"Guys I think there's a boat down there."

"Shut up."

"No way."

"No, no, guys. I'm serious. There's a boat down there."

"It's a boat," Pope pointed.

"Holy shit, he's right. let's go." Kiara commented.

Everyone jumped into the water to go and check out the boat. You stayed where you were sitting on the HMS pogue.

When everyone resurfaced from the water they were all buzzed.

"You guys saw that right." JJ exclaimed.

"Yeah I did." Kiara voiced.

"That's a Grady-White. A new one of those is like 500 Gs, easy." JJ announced.

Everyone climbed back on the boat.

"Why didn't you come down with us?" Kiara asked.

"I didn't want to get my hair wet," you lied.

Kiara looked at you skeptical but then let it go.

John b was digging out the anchor when JJ announced, "Well, i'm not resuscitating you. I'm just making that clear up front."

You started getting up to see John B dive but what you didn't expect was to see him making his way towards you.

"Diver down," John B speaks. Then he pushed you into the water.

You were in the middle of saying "what" when you were pushed into the water. Your words drown out by the splash.

Everyone was laughing and waiting for you to surface. However, you were struggling and no one seemed to notice except JJ.

You were slipping under the water and it was filling into your mouth making it hard to breathe.

"Y/N!" "Y/N!" JJ called out to you.

But you were drowning and couldn't hear JJ let alone answer him.

JJ saw the situation unfold and was quick to dove into the water to save you. JJ swam out to you. When he reached you he started to panic. He didn't know what to do or how to help.

When he saw you submerged under the water he acted on instinct. He swiftly came to your rescue. He got a hold of you in the water and lifted you up.

"Stay with me y/n. Stay with me." JJ yelled.

JJ carried you to the boat. Somewhat struggling to swim with you in his arms. Kiara had her hand out and you took it. She hoisted you up back on the boat.

JJ got himself back on the boat.

"Holy shit y/n i'm so sorry." John B apologized.

You were bent over coughing up a storm.

"It's okay John B you didn't know." Your voice came out hoarse.

"You scared the shit out of me." JJ expressed.

You gave JJ a exasperated look.

"JB your an idiot!" JJ exclaimed.

"Hey man I really am sorry," John B trailed off.

JJ went in search of a blanket. When he found one he made his way over to you. He wrapped you up in a blanket and rubbed your arms over the blanket.

"Let me warm you up," JJ spoke.

"JJ your soaking wet too."

"Never mind that."

JJ came and sat down next to you. You felt grateful for JJ, grateful that he saved you. You found a new appreciation for him. He has always been there for you right when you needed him.

"Thank you for saving me J."

"It's no problem baby. I'm just glad your alright," JJ spoke.

baby.

He calls you that sometimes and it makes your stomach flip. You turned towards JJ and gave him one of your breathtaking smiles.

JJ's heart just about stopped from the way you were looking at him. When you were looking at him like that, how could he not be in love.

JJ put his arm around you and you snuggled into his warmth. The other pogues were distracted doing other things keeping their attention elsewhere, giving you two privacy.

With the pogues looking away, JJ released his arm around you and began to cup your face. He used his thumb to stroke your cheek. JJ's heart was palpitating and he was excited and eager to kiss you.

The kiss however was tentative and delicate. JJ placed his lips on yours so they were pressing against each other. You were both tasting one another.

The kiss than grew hungry and heated. Your lips moving against each other. Suddenly JJ slid his hand back into your hair. He tugged on the strands allowing your mouth to open in a gasp.

JJ's tongue entered your mouth in a needy rush. JJ was oozing confidence in the kiss. You were surprised when his tongue greeted you. Your tongues started to lap each other up.

Eventually, the need for air was increasing. You gently pulled back and took a big breath. Your cheeks were burning as you looked up at JJ.

JJ's palms were sweating. He removed his hand from your face and rested it on your knee. 

"Y/n, I'm in love with you and I have been for so long I just could never find the right words or right time to tell you. I'm so sorry it took me so long."

"JJ your all I ever wanted. I love you too."

"Finally!" Kiara exclaimed.

[trainingdummyrabbit]

“Speak, thou vast and venerable head,” muttered Ahab, “which, though ungarnished with a beard, yet here and there lookest hoary with mosses; speak, mighty head, and tell us the secret thing that is in thee. Of all divers, thou hast dived the deepest. That head upon which the upper sun now gleams, has moved amid this world’s foundations. Where unrecorded names and navies rust, and untold hopes and anchors rot; where in her murderous hold this frigate earth is ballasted with bones of millions of the drowned; there, in that awful water-land, there was thy most familiar home. Thou hast been where bell or diver never went; hast slept by many a sailor’s side, where sleepless mothers would give their lives to lay them down. Thou saw’st the locked lovers when leaping from their flaming ship; heart to heart they sank beneath the exulting wave; true to each other, when heaven seemed false to them. Thou saw’st the murdered mate when tossed by pirates from the midnight deck; for hours he fell into the deeper midnight of the insatiate maw; and his murderers still sailed on unharmed — while swift lightnings shivered the neighboring ship that would have borne a righteous husband to outstretched, longing arms. O head! thou hast seen enough to split the planets and make an infidel of Abraham, and not one syllable is thine!”

[cryptid-stimming]

Jasper x Lapis Lazuli (Steven Universe) Stimboard (with themes of chains & water) for Anon

x x x / x x / x x x

[Image description: a 9 gif stimboard; from left to right.

First line: A close-up of an anchor chain on the surface of the ocean, light glinting on the moving water. A gif of a cloud of bubbles left under the surface of the ocean from a diver, the waves above glinting. And a gif of a freediver's hands using an anchor chain to pull themselves down into the ocean.

Second line: A gif of rolling waves sparkling in the sun and the sky above. A still screenshot of Jasper and Lapis from Steven Universe dancing together. And a gif panning over rocks in the ocean, waves crashing over them and spraying water into the air.

Third line: A gif of rolling waves, sunlight catching the water and making it sparkle. A close-up gif panning over an anchor chain underwater, bubbles rising around it. And a gif of an anchor chain attached to the side of a ship, waves crashing over it and making it disappear into the ocean.

End of image description.]

[the-obnoxious-sibling]

birthday countdown 2024, day 5: rescue snippet

the birthday countdown continues to tick down! today, i have for you a beckman pov scene in need of a fic; the scrivener document title is “this belongs in a plottier story,” and i stand by that description:

Giving Shanks a look somewhere between misery and murder, Buggy mutters, “You have no idea what it's like.” “Mm, I don't know… people having a lot of undeserved expectations sounds pretty familiar to me.”  Shanks moves to fidget with the brim of a hat that he no longer owns. “Oh come on,” Buggy scoffs. “I mean it!  I was—Buggy, I was a child when the captain gave me that hat.  I wasn’t an exceptional pirate, or a prodigious fighter, or anything like that.  He didn’t give it to me to declare me his heir, he gave it to me because I was a kid on his ship, who thought his hat looked cool, and asked if I could wear it.”  A wry smile on his face, Shanks says, “The difference between me and you is I learned how to work around expectations, instead of being dragged in their wake.” “There are way more differences between us than just that,” Buggy mutters.  “Like number of functioning arms.  Or braincells.” “Oh, yeah,” Shanks says, faux-thoughtfully.  Beckman quietly braces himself.  Buggy bristles; he clearly recognizes that tone too.  “Underwater, I guess I do have more of those than you.”

(1.3k below the cut)

Beckman is in an early morning meeting with his captain, another in a long line of meetings with not a smile to be seen—not with so many big names anchored close by, their men cohabitating, waiting for a decision to be made—when a faint cry from on deck has Shanks shooting upright in his chair.  He turns an eye in that direction, his unerring observation haki telling him something that alarms him.

Beckman casts his own senses that way.  It feels like conflict between a couple low-level crewmen, with one gone overboard.  Concerning, but nothing serious enough to warrant Shanks’ personal intervention… but Beckman hasn’t been first mate of the Red-Haired Pirates this long for no reason.  When Shanks runs out of the room, calling over his shoulder, “Get Yasopp and a life preserver—actually, make it two—port side, as fast as you can,” Beckman’s already on his feet, doubting that they’ll make it in time.

Luckily Yasopp is quick to find—he prefers to be at the highest point of the ship when they have strangers on board, keeping an eagle eye on enemies and friends alike, and by his frown he has more of an idea of what's happened than Beckman.  Luckily Beckman just finished orienting new crew on the places where they store safety supplies, so the life preservers aren't blocked off and hidden by the barrels of supplies they brought on the day before last.  Luckily Shanks left a trail of his discarded cape and sandals that's easy to follow, easier still when it ends in a pair of foam-mouthed crewmen collapsed against a wall.

Beckman hears the quiet plup of a diver with excellent form entering the waters below without a hint of a splash, and leans over the railing to see a faint pale sliver of a figure swimming down, down, and away…

Yasopp measures the wind, hefts each life preserver consideringly, and nods.  “When he surfaces, I'll be ready,” he says.  “You go ahead, get those two out of sight.”

Beckman nods.  Whatever these men did, it riled Shanks up enough to use conqueror’s haki on his own crew.  It's worth a private interrogation, if nothing else.  Without saying a word, he hefts one over either shoulder and strolls back across the deck.  And if any of their guests notice, and pass word along to their home ships… that’s one less thing for Beckman to deal with.

“Well?” Shanks asks when Beckman returns to the main deck, not quite half an hour later.  He's ruffling a towel through his hair, which is going to dry in awful salt spikes later, but he appears, essentially, fine.  You'd never guess by looking at him that he'd gone in the water for anything more than a passing fancy.

His rescuee, on the other hand, is a miserable, bruised, half-drowned rat of a man.  His disembodied hands wring seawater out of his clothes and back into the ocean as he shivers under three oversized towels, but the glare on Buggy the Star Clown’s face would almost make you think Shanks had been the one to push him overboard.

“Spies for Blackbeard,” Beckman says.  Shanks frowns.  Disappointed, but unsurprised.  “Apparently Buggy caught them at it and attempted to blackmail them rather than turn them in.”  Buggy scoffs under his breath.  “They knocked him out and tossed him over the side of the ship, intending to claim he'd made an escape by—”

“I know what they intended,” Shanks says.  His chipper demeanor is long gone.  “Buggy, how did you spot them?”

Buggy scoffs again—or maybe coughs, his voice is so hoarse with saltwater that it's hard to tell.  “I didn't!  Those idiots assumed I was one of them, and came around to brag about how much progress they'd made in getting close to you.”  He coughed again, turning to hack a wad of phlegm overboard.  “The disrespect!  As if the Genius Jester Buggy would ever deign to work for that overgrown weasel.”

Shanks stays quiet; on a hunch, Beckman follows his lead.

“And of course the spies decided that I had intentionally tricked them into revealing themselves,” Buggy continues to rant, “and that I must have done so to blackmail them into handing over Blackbeard’s secrets, which outraged and offended them so much that before I could split myself they were beating on me until I blacked out.”  He rubs at a bruise-dark temple gingerly, then says, “I woke up just as they were hefting me overboard.”

A faint hint of a smile curls the corner of Shanks’ mouth.  “Things like this really do just happen to you, don't they?”

Gesturing expansively, Buggy says, “They really do!  People assume all sorts of shit about me, and whether I want to go along with it or not they don't let me get a word in edgewise, and then before you know it I'm a Warlord! or an Emperor! with no actual power to back up my position!”  Giving Shanks a look somewhere between misery and murder, he mutters, “You have no idea what it's like.”

“Mm, I don't know… people having a lot of undeserved expectations sounds pretty familiar to me.”  Shanks moves to fidget with the brim of a hat that he no longer owns.

“Oh come on,” Buggy scoffs.

“I mean it!  I was—Buggy, I was a child when the captain gave me that hat.  I wasn’t an exceptional pirate, or a prodigious fighter, or anything like that.  He didn’t give it to me to declare me his heir, he gave it to me because I was a kid on his ship, who thought his hat looked cool, and asked if I could wear it.”  A wry smile on his face, Shanks says, “The difference between me and you is I learned how to work around expectations, instead of being dragged in their wake.”

“There are way more differences between us than just that,” Buggy mutters.  “Like number of functioning arms.  Or braincells.”

“Oh, yeah,” Shanks says, faux-thoughtfully.  Beckman quietly braces himself.  Buggy bristles; he clearly recognizes that tone too.  “Underwater, I guess I do have more of those than you.”

“Barely!”  Buggy snaps.  Beckman takes the opportunity to grab the clothing Buggy had started to neglect during this conversation and pass it along to a crewman already headed for to the laundry.  He has a feeling Buggy’s charming personality won’t become more bearable if he drops his only outfit overboard while he’s distracted.  “And who the hell asked you to anyway?!  You’ve got a ship full of people who obey your orders, supposedly, why didn’t one of them, with the proper number of arms for rescue swimming, pull me out?!”

Shanks blinks.  “What do you mean, ‘who the hell asked me to?’  You asked me to.”

Buggy blinks.  Then blushes.

Yes, Beckman realizes, thinking back, that cry that first drew Shanks’ attention had sounded a bit like his name.

“I—that was—“ Buggy visibly fails to think of another word he could have possibly said in that moment.  He snatches away Shanks’ towel to bury his head under it and sigh, “An old reflex.”

Shanks crouches down, taking the towel back and running it over Buggy’s hair with more care than he’d given his own.  “After all this time, you still trust me to keep you from drowning.”  He waits for Buggy to look at him before saying, “How could I do anything less than honor that trust?”

Beckman feels, far from the first time, like he's interrupting something here.  The last time he’d asked, Shanks had just laughed.  Which was, he’d thought at the time, a very roundabout but unambiguous answer to the question.  Looking at Buggy’s face now, Beckman thinks he understands why.  Whatever it is he’s interrupting here, Buggy is aware of it too, and he’s terrified of it.

Poor Shanks.

[the-astral-express-archive]

Honkai: Star Rail Relic Sets (21/?) | Cavern Relics: Pioneer Diver of Dead Waters

Pioneer's Heatproof Shell

Pioneer's Lacuna Compass

Pioneer's Sealed Lead Apron

Pioneer's Starfaring Anchor

[deuces-sunglasses]

Zosan Au- Pearl Divers

(Request from @sampaisleyriot, I strayed from your idea a little bit sorry 😭)

• The Going Merry crew consisted of Luffy- the Captain, Nami- the navigator and Usopp- the mechanist and “protector���.

• Luffy had also found two pearl divers, named Zoro and Sanji. Unfortunately, they didn’t seem to get along much.

• “I want to offer one of you a six month contract. So, you’ll have to compete to show me which one of you I should choose.” Hearing this, they both eyed up their opposition, scoffed and agreed to the challenge.

• Sanji flirts with Nami as she steers them across the ocean. Zoro rolls his eyes and settles into a nap despite the noisy engine.

• Luffy soon calls for the anchor to be set down as he peers off the edge of the bow, which had a strange goat head on it.

• As Sanji gets into his white diving costume, Zoro opts only for a tiny pair of shorts which causes the blond’s breath to be caught in his throat.

• “You ready to watch a professional, cook?” Zoro taunts as he pulls on his leather finger guards and slides on his nose clip.

• Sanji cackles at his voice change due to the nose clip and replies, “We’ll see whether you’ve got any brains under that moss.”

• Usopp lets out a cough and hands them their rope baskets for collecting oysters and stone weights for bringing them to the sea bed.

• Then they both dive in and their competitive nature grows. Zoro’s advantage lies in his upper body strength, while Sanji’s toned legs make him glide quickly through the water.

• Despite the opportunity at stake, they aren’t stupid and regularly check that the other hasn't somehow drowned.

• On one of his trips to the surface, Sanji spots Usopp fishing on the port side. He’s about to offer to make Nami a refreshing drink when Luffy yells affectionately-

• “Sanji! Get back to work!”

• They take a couple of longer breaks, where they enjoy dates and coffee. Sanji smacks Zoro’s hand away from the Saké in the cooler.

• Zoro likes how the saltwater makes Sanji’s hair frizzy and curly.

• As the sun goes down, they both shuck their own oysters and let Nami count them. Zoro cuts the fish caught by Usopp for Sanji to cook. Luffy happily chatters.

• “Even! You got an equally small amount of pearls, but at least we can keep the meat to eat,” proclaims Nami.

• “Nami-Swan, how would you like a pearl necklace? I think-“

• “Luffy, you don’t want a pervert on your crew do you? You should just make your decision now.” Zoro fires out.

• “I am simply appreciating her beauty. You don’t get to insult me while you’re happily eating my cooking!” Sanji retorts.

• Over the next couple of days, they continue this routine. The crew becomes increasingly close and comfortable with each other.

• Sanji comments how Zoro’s body is exposed to stingrays and Zoro replies that he doesn’t need to worry about his body.

• When Luffy accidentally falls into the ocean, Sanji jumps in and saves him.

• At one point, they both spot the same oyster. Glancing over to one another, they make angry eye contact and immediately race towards it.

• Zoro reaches it first and swoops it up, only for Sanji to kick him and take it from his basket. The mosshead wraps his arms around his waist and drags him down. Sanji kicks free and swims to the surface, with Zoro’s hand on his oyster.

• They gasp for air as Nami reprimands them for their stupid antics. In the evening, they discover that the oyster was pearl-less anyway.

• When it’s finally time for Luffy to sign one of them on, both are on edge. This contract is a dream come true.

• “I won’t make you wait any longer. I’m signing you both on! Welcome to the Straw hat crew!”

• Zoro’s eyebrows rise and Sanji’s furrow.

• “We’re not actually calling ourselves that, are we?” says Nami.

• “Alright! I won’t ever actually have to go pearl diving then? Because I might have slightly lied when I was listing my skills.” Usopp scratches the back of his neck with a grin.

• “Guess you’re stuck with me, Marimo.” Sanji sings as he shakes Luffy’s hand.

• “I’ll pick up the slack whenever your little arms get tired, bastard.” Zoro gets an immediate kick to the face.

• A few months later, after they get together, they definitely try an underwater kiss and it is awful.

• Zoro gives Sanji pearl cufflinks as a gift at some point.

[chimaerakitten]

so @darlingofdots's awesome Temeraire!universe historian post mentioned the wreck of the HMS Allegiance and I have been thinking about where it is literally all day.

Not just where as in "somewhere in the South Pacific" (because duh) but also, specifically, how deep, and therefore how the wreck would be studied.

Because a lot of archaeologically significant shipwrecks are pretty shallow, since they're the wrecks we can dive to, either on normal air scuba tanks or mixed gas. The Uluburun shipwreck off Turkey, for example, sits between 44 and 61 meters deep, which is right on the edge for air diving. The archaeologists could only be at the bottom for 20 ish minutes at a time, two times per day, with careful decompression timing as they went up to avoid the bends and not-insignificant amounts of nitrogen narcosis at the bottom. Mixed gas goes deeper, 100 meters or so for some of the more available ones. (there's a Phoenician shipwreck off the coast of Malta that's about 110 meters deep, and was excavated by technical divers) Beyond that it's just commercial divers laying oil pipelines with the super $$$ gas at depths of up to 500 meters or so. Anything deeper than that is the domain of submarines and robots.

and really, all of that ^ paragraph is just tangential set dressing that I added because I like shipwreck archaeology, because knowing the Allegiance went down in the middle of the South Pacific meant it was always going to a be a submarines-and-robots wreck. The middle of the Pacific Ocean is uh. deep. but I wanted to find out exactly how deep.

so the map from Crucible of Gold puts the sinking at a little under 50°S and a little over 121°W, which the NOAA bathymetric data viewer says is just about 3000 meters deep

Since that's an extremely boring screenshot, here's the CoG map overlayed on a bathymetric map:

It's actually on a bit of a ridge there! which is why it's at 3000 meters and not deeper.

We do find and investigate wrecks at that depth and deeper these days. The Titanic is at 3800 meters, and it has been investigated extensively (though we also have a recent pretty major news story about why thats still difficult and uh, very dangerous) The USS Samuel B Roberts was found at 6895 meters, and perhaps most relevantly, the search for Malaysa airlines flight MH370 turned up two 19th century shipwrecks at 3500+ meters deep, over 2000 kilometers off the coast of Australia.

One of those wrecks was a wooden ship from either the 1870s or 1880s, and though, being wood, it was pretty badly decayed, its cargo (coal) and metal features (anchor and water tanks) were still extant. On the Allegiance, that would also include her guns and her metal keel (which would probably be the identifying feature TBH, the keel marking her as definitely a dragon transport)

That wreck is probably the best parallel to the Allegiance in other ways, being a wooden sailing ship with a wreck not only very deep but also very remote. It also probably went down due to an explosion, just like the Allegiance. They were common on coal-carrying vessels, and the sonar images showed the cargo was scattered across the seafloor like something catastrophic happened.

The Allegiance would be more remote than its real-world parallel, but anyone looking for it would be hunting for it specifically and would be armed with probably a decent idea of where she was when she went down, seeing as there were survivors who would have been very keen to remember where they were so they could know how close they were to land. Plus, much like the Titanic (though not to the same extent) there'd probably be funding to investigate the Allegiance once found, as she had a part to play in major political turning points on at least three continents. People tend to be interested enough to throw money at that sort of thing.

So, there you have it. It would take a pretty serious effort to find her, though not an impossible one, and once found she'd be investigated by shipwreck robots, which would bring back pictures and samples of her metal remains, with organic matter being mostly absent by the time she was found.

[outermaybanks]

Out of the Woods - ch 4

a/n: tw for violence, but nothing worse than what they show in outer banks so

prev ☆ next

When John B returned, the five of us got on the H.M.S. Pogue, with Pope steering, but once we got out into the Marsh, Kie noticed the tanks were almost completely empty, only enough for one person. But none of us knew how to dive.

“You put the thing in your mouth and breath. How hard could it be?” JJ asked. “Well, if you come up too fast, nitrogen gets into your blood, and you get the bends,” Pope explained. “Bends like… bend over and-” JJ joked, bending over. “The bends kill you,” Pope corrected, making JJ awkwardly stand back up. “I can dive,” John B volunteered. “You can dive. I’m cool with that,” JJ replied. “Since when can you dive?” Kie questioned. “I’ll do it, it’s fine.” “Let me do some calculations real quick,” Pope said.

I took the opportunity to hit JJ’s arm. “Bend over? Really? Are you 12?” “Been bending girls over since I was 12, gimme some-” JJ said, holding his hand out to Pope who just shook his head.

“That boat’s about 30 feet down. So it’ll take 25 minutes at that depth, which means you need to make your safety stop at about… ten feet. Alright? For two minutes, got it?” “Two minutes, got it,” John B said, then without a word, Kie took her shirt off and dove into the water. “What was that about?” Pope asked. “I don’t know, but I liked it. A lot,” JJ answered. I rolled my eyes. “Are all teenage boys like this?” “I can assure you, we’re not.” Pope spoke up, making me laugh. JJ rolled his eyes and explained how the key worked, and what John B needed to look for, Kie resurfaced and explained she had tied her shirt around the anchor where John B would need to do his stop. 

“If we get caught in the marsh, we’re basically screwed so… better get a move on,” Pope reminded him. “Copy that,” John B replied. “Please don’t die, Jeeb, that would seriously suck,” I spoke up, making John B chuckle. “I’ll try not to.”

Kie stepped forward and kissed John B’s cheek, which I think took all of us by surprise. “Diver down?” “Diver down.”

John B went under, and each passing second was anxiety ridden, and it only got  worse when we heard the sirens of a police boat. The deputy, Shoupe, came aboard to tell us the Marsh was closed, and we all feigned ignorance. He asked us where John B was, and Kie told him he’s working. Then he decided to check our boat out. I sat beside Kie to stay out of the officer’s way. He inspected our gear, checked to make sure we had life jackets, but then he just stood on the edge, staring down. I looked to JJ nervously before bringing my thumbnail up to my mouth to bite. But then, the deputy just left. And immediately after, John B resurfaced, bringing a bag on board.

But before we could catch our breath, Kie spotted a bogey headed our way. Like they were coming towards us, John B drove us further into the marsh but they followed us. JJ told him to speed it up, and then we heard a gunshot. We all hit the deck, minus John B who couldn’t duck and steer. After the second gunshot I leaned up to try and pull John B down more, but JJ pulled me back down to the deck.

“Stay down!” JJ whispered, his grip on my arm tightened, like he was scared to let me go.Kie stood up, ignoring our shouts to get down, and she untangled a net before throwing it into the water behind us, clogging up their motor.

I let out a chuckle in disbelief as I got up. “Kie, you’re a genius!” I cheered. The boys let out cheers and howls in celebration. We were safe, we got the stash.

We drove the boat back to John B’s, and couldn’t even make it to his house. He dug into the bag, pulling out a sealed container that held a compass. “Yeah that’s about right. Good job, everyone, we found a compass.” Pope said sarcastically. JJ took his hat off and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. But John B wouldn’t take his eyes off it.

“This was my father’s…” He said softly.

It was practically unbelievable. But he wasn’t lying, it was his father’s compass. But for now, the compass was all we had, and it was getting dark soon. “You spending the night?” JJ asked me as we all walked off the dock. “No, gotta soak in the Theodore-free time while I can.” JJ stopped suddenly. “Is he still messing with you?” I sighed, not wanting to make a big deal about it. “JJ, I’m a big girl.” “Is he still messing with you, yes or no?” “Why does it matter?” I shot back. “Because if he is, I’ll handle it.” “You’ll handle it?” I questioned and without a word, JJ pulled the gun from his waistband. “Yeah. I’ll handle it.”

Suddenly the conversation felt much heavier. “I said don’t worry about it.” I mumbled, walking past him. 

JJ was the only one who knew about my tumultuous relationship with my stepfather, just like I was the only one who really knew how bad JJ’s dad was. Neither of us liked to talk about it too much, but both of us found a sort of twisted comfort in the other.

-

When I got back to the Chateau the next morning, it was empty, no sign of John B or anyone else. Power still wasn’t on. Not much to do, so I decided to take a nap on the couch in the mudroom, it felt like no time had passed at all when I was startled awake by the door slamming shut. Kie and Pope followed in after John B and JJ, who seemed to be talking a mile a minute. 

“JJ calm down!” I said, running a hand through my hair, trying to wake up.  “You say that Junie, but you weren’t there!” I stood up and walked over to him, but he kept pacing. “JJ- just- tell us what happened.” “We were right outside Ms. Lana’s house, like this-” JJ leaned against the brick chimney. “-and all we hear is just, bam bam bam! Knocking paint off the wall, G, from the inside, alright, and I’m just looking at him like- and look at this!” JJ began shaking his hair like a dog, running his fingers through it as white things fell from his hair.

“That’s dandruff…” Kie teased. “That’s paint. And at that point, I was just, like, I’m waiting for death,” JJ finished, finally taking a breath. “Okay, okay, come sit down,” I said pulling his arm to sit on the couch with me, hoping that sitting would help him calm down.

“Okay, so, you saw the guys that shot at us, right?” Pope questioned.  “Yeah.” “Did you get a good description of them? What they look like? Anything we can bring to a police report?” JJ struggled to find words. “Burly.” “Burly?” “Yeah.” “That’s not very helpful,” Kie spoke up. “Okay, well, no, like the type of guy at my dad’s garage. I mean, you guys know he made cargo hides for drug smugglers. So I can tell you with full confidence, these boys, these killers-” JJ paused to take a hit of his cart. “-they’re square groupers.” “Square groupers, like narco square grouper? Like Pablo Escobar square grouper?” “Yeah man!” JJ replied, before handing me the cart. I took a hit and looked to Kie. “You guys, not everything is a kingpin movie,” Kie spoke up. “Okay, so what does this  square grouper look like specifically? Because-” “You weren’t there bro!” JJ interrupted “Apparently, you don’t know what to look for!” Pope shouted.

 JJ shot back to his feet. “I wasn’t taking little mental polaroids the entire time, I was under duress, okay?” JJ shouted, his voice breaking. “But I can tell you… I can tell you by the way that Ms. Lana was screaming that these guys are serious, serious hombres, man,” JJ calmed a bit, catching his breath.

JJ walked back over to sit beside me. He looked at me, like he was desperate for me to believe him. I handed him back the cart. “If JJ says these guys are dangerous, it’s safer to assume they’re dangerous than to assume they’re not. So… Square groupers.” “Thank you, Junie,” JJ said, his hand coming down to pat my knee. “Why do they want the compass?” Kie asked. “It’s a piece of shit. You couldn’t pawn it off for five bucks if you wanted to, no offense John B, I know it’s in your family,” Pope quickly saved.

I ran a hand through my hair, my brain felt like it was still playing catch up, so I got up and went into the house to go to the bathroom and splash some water on my face. I looked in the mirror and saw my face was pink, and my mind flashed back to JJ putting his hand on my knee. I turned the water cold before putting more on my face. 

When I came out of the bathroom, I could here clammoring and followed it to Big John’s office, where everyone was listening to John B point to a corkboard. I walked over and looked over his shoulder, it was a bunch of pictures of family members who the compass belonged to, all died while owning it, which didn’t exactly track well for JB. Then he remembered what his dad told him, there was a secret compartment, and he opened it to see the word ‘Redfield’ engraved in the back.

Pope immediately got to work on anagrams, and we helped him, until John B shouted to get our attention. Someone was here. John B asked JJ about the gun, but he said he left it on the porch and ran out the door, only to return seconds later.

“They’re on the front porch.” JJ whispered.

JJ and Pope got to work trying to open windows, but I was frozen, staring at John B with his back against the door as we could hear the men shouting, throwing things. Suddenly I understood JJ’s panic from earlier. 

John B ran from the door as the man starting kicking it in. I covered my mouth to hold in any sounds. The second Kie got the window unstuck, we were all rushing out, but we didn’t have a lot of time and the five of us scrambled into the chicken coop.

We watched silently as the men stole Big John’s documents. The rooster kept making noise and when the men were packing up, one paused.

“Do something Pope, shut him up!” JJ whispered. “What do you want me to do?” Pope countered. “Pet it, or talk to it. I don’t know.” Kie whispered, but when Pope reached for him, he flew at his face and squawked loudly.

Without a word, JJ got up and tried to grab the rooster. Tried to hold him still, but he broke his neck. I brought my hands up to my mouth again to stifle a gasp, JJ looked at me, horrified.

The second the men were gone, we all ran to get into the van, in case they came back. I was sitting in the back with JJ and Pope, chewing at my lip while I tried to wrap my mind around what was happening. But John B had an idea.

“I mean, it’s obvious, right? A family heirloom. What better place to hide a message? He had to know it was gonna get back to me, right?” John B asked. “Yeah, it’s possible,” Kie said, wanting to support him without giving him false hope. “It could also be possible that you’re concocting wild theories to help, you know, deal with your sad feels,” Pope suggested, ever the realist. I looked up to JJ and he looked at me and softly shook his head to tell me what he thought.

“Bro, you know how I process my sad feels. Dank nugs and the stickiest of ickies, that’s how I do it,” JJ spoke up, and I nodded in agreement.

“I’m not concocting, okay? My dad’s trying to give me a message.” “If it helps you believe, John B,” Kie spoke up. “Look, I-I don’t need a therapy session, okay? Look, I’m not tripping out.” “It’s okay to trip, bro-” JJ tried. “Look, my-my dad is missing, okay? Missing. You don’t know what it’s like to have the person closest to you vanish, and then have no idea what happened, just wake up every morning wondering.”

I looked up to JJ, who was already looking at me. I tried to imagine what I would do if one day he was just gone, without a trace. I probably wouldn’t believe he was dead either.

“It’s been almost a year,” Kie mumbled. “I don’t know… Knowing Big John… even if his boat sank, he’d probably be down there looking for the city of Atlantis,” I said, which made John B chuckle. “Junie’s right, he could have been kidnapped, that’s definitely a possibility,” JJ said. “Yeah, could be in a Soviet sub, getting interrogated by the KGB somewhere,” Pope added “Look, what do you think the message is?” Kie asked. “Redfield. Redfield Lighthouse, that’s my dad’s favorite place,” John B explained just as we pulled in.

“Right, here’s what’s gonna happen. You three are gonna post up and look out for bogeys, okay? “Wait, why me?” JJ asked. “Because you’re not coming,” Pope explained. “Why?” “Look JJ, there are independent and dependent variables and you’re and independent variable. We don’t know what you’re gonna do!” “Shut up, just shut up!” JJ shouted over him. “Listen to me for a second. Junie and Pope, you stand look out with JJ, okay? If we get split up, we meet back at JJ’s house,” John B said, putting an end to the arguing.

JJ rolled his eyes, and pulled his hacky sack from his pocket, starting to kick it around.

“I’m gonna work on my merit scholarship essay. I'm trying to keep felonies down to a minimum” Pope spoke up, getting back into the van.  “Alright, would you just shut up already?” JJ shot back, his focus on his hacky sack. I sighed and sat on a rock, looking out at the horizon. What the fuck happened? How had this all snowballed into John B’s missing dad? And why were people trying to kill us over it. The sound of JJ kicking his hackey sack stopped, but I was too focused on where the sun was going down to notice, until he spoke up.

“You know I didn’t mean to, right?” JJ asked, causing me to turn and look at him.  “What?” “I didn’t mean to kill the rooster… damn thing wouldn’t stop-” “JJ, I know you didn’t kill the rooster on purpose.” I reassured him, standing up. “I just-” JJ moved from leaning on the Twinkie to walk closer to me. “I saw the way you looked at me after.” “I was scared, JJ.” “But not… not scared of me? Right?”

My eyebrows furrowed together. I reached down to grab his hand, “Hey. I’d never be scared of you, J. Never.” I reassured him and he nodded, but he didn’t look convinced. I took a step closer and wrapped my arms around him. I could feel JJ’s tense body relax, and he hugged me back, tightly, but neither of us were very good at being serious for long.

“But I do think you should steer clear from PETA for a while. They might not be as forgiving.” I mumbled into JJ’s shoulder, making him chuckle.

The nice moment was cut short by the sound of sirens.

“Shit- go go go” JJ said, pulling away and practically pushing me into the Twinkie. Pope was climbing into the driver’s side. “Guys, what about-” I tried. “John B said meet up at my house, that’s what we’ll do.” JJ interrupted. “Pope, drive!” In an instant I was thrashed back as Pope swerved to get on the road and drive us out of there. I frantically ran a hand through my hair as I tried to think. “Wait… wait- take me home.” “What? Why?” Pope asked. “Will you please just take me home?” I said again, louder. “Jesus- okay.” Pope said, allowing me to relax.

When Pope parked the car in the gravel leading up to my trailer, I immediately hopped out, JJ climbing up to sit shotgun. 

“Bring Jeeb his van back, I’ll meet up with you guys later.” I said tapping the ledge of the open window to say goodbye. I didn’t wait for a response before I ran up to the screen door. 

But I was met with the sight of Theodore, home early, sitting in his recliner with a can of beer. 

“There she is.” He announced. I quickly broke my surprised trance to get to my bedroom in the back, but my room was half packed into boxes. “What the hell is this? Mom?” I called, before turning to find her but Theodore was right behind me. “Cody needs to get out of our room. Figured you wouldn’t mind since you practically live with those boys. What are you doing with those boys anyway?” My mom was behind him, looking a mix of apologetic and scared.

I tried to move past him but he shoved me back. 

“Teddy, stop!” My mom said, but he just turned to her. “What? She’s disrespecting me! This wouldn’t be a problem if you hadn’t raised her to be such a whore!”

I wasn’t thinking clearly. I was just so tired of it all. So I forced myself up to push him away from her, but he was fast, grabbed my arm and shoved me to the ground before he kicked my side, knocking the wind out of me. All I could hear was crying, it was all I could focus on. 

“You gonna try that again?” Theodore’s voice boomed. 

I tried taking deep breaths, tried using the table to pull myself up but then he was right back in my place. I never learned how to back down, and sometimes that was a good thing. But sometimes-

“Yeah, whores like you just need to be pushed around a little. Ain’t that right?”

I spat in his face. I saw the anger in his face as he wiped it before that hand formed a fist and connected with my face. More crying, some screaming. My vision was blurred, but I saw my mom grab a knife and hold it out, like she had done every time one of Theodore and I’s fights got out of hand. I knew this play well.

She screamed that she’d call the cops if he didn’t get out, but he was in no hurry. He knew this play well too. He’d go to a bar for a few hours until my mom calmed down, and then it’ll be like it never happened. When she got him out the door, she was suddenly in my eyesight, still blurry. Her face covered in tears as she held me and whispered “I’m sorry” over and over. I had half a mind to tell her she can’t say sorry if it’ll happen again. But sometimes it’s just nice for your mom to hold you.  

She brought me an ice pack as I caught my breath, and then moved to calm Cody down. That’s where the crying had come from. 

Once I caught my breath, I held the ice pack to my eye, and used the table to help me stand. I had come in here with a mission, one I especially couldn’t forget about now. 

“What are you doing?” My mom asked, Cody still whimpering in her arms.

“I’m doing you a favor. I’m leaving. For good,” I said as I walked through the trailer. There was a bedroom on each side, my mom and Teddy’s room, and mine on the other. I grabbed a backpack and filled it with as much clothes as I could. Then I took my knapsack off my back and stuffed as much as I could.

“What? No, no, sweetie. He’s just upset because he had to come home early, he’ll calm down.”

I ignored her, walking past her to get to the kitchen. I bent down to grab a container from underneath and shoved it into my bag before closing it.

“Junie, wait, okay, just wait. It’ll get better. I know it will. Please-”

“You’ve been saying that since I was 8, mom. He won’t get better. You want to live like this? Fine. I’m done. I can’t spend my life only coming home when that asshole is gone.” I walked to her and Teddy’s room, she had no objections since she was too busy blubbering, begging me to stay. Teddy kept a gun in his dresser, and I figured I needed it more than he did right now.

“I’ll come back for my stuff if you don’t throw it out.” I said before putting the gun in the top of my knapsack. “You two were just going to share a room, he’s not kicking you out, I’d never let him do that to you.” Now I was mad. “Yeah?” I asked before walking closer to her. “You let him do this to me.” I spat, pointing to where his fist hit. That just made her cry more.  “Junie, please…Cody needs you.” That was always her last resort, because it always worked. I looked at the six year old in her arms, still wiping his eyes.  “I’m more useful to him alive.” I said, before opening the screen door and slamming it shut behind me. 

She wouldn’t chase me, she never did when I left. But I couldn’t go to JJ’s now. I couldn’t face any of them. Not until the mark faded. It wouldn’t be the first time I went MIA. The good thing about growing up in the Cut, there were plenty of abandoned houses. It’s been a while since I had to utilize one. Even before Big John disappeared and left John B alone in the Chateau, if I needed somewhere to go he always let me stay. But with the square groupers on our tail, I couldn’t risk going there alone, even with a gun. 

©outermaybanks 2024

[my-writings-and-musings]

Mermay related thought: going diving to see a shipwreck but it turns out to actually be a resting mer-transformer and you both accidentally scare each other.

Okay this is so WHOLESOME I can seriously see the entire thing playing out! Human is a professional diver with a love for bringing up treasures and artifacts and has a boat with a sonar sensor. One day they detect some kind of large item within diving range and think "Sweet, new discovery!" before putting down an anchor and suiting up for a dive.

Unbeknownst to this human, there's no treasure or sunken ships awaiting them. A merformer simply needed to rest and found a nice spot in comparatively shallow water for a power down. They're curled up on the sea floor amidst a forest of undersea greenery and stones, making it impossible to identify them as anything more than an apparent mass of metal in the dim light. It doesn't help that they pulled seaweed around themselves like a giant blanket.

Human grows perplexed as they begin to swim around the shape and realize it's not built like any kind of vessel they're familiar with. Eventually they begin to explore more up close, unknowingly swimming around to the bots front where they spot something like arms. Brushing away the seaweed for a better look startles the poor bot, and the sight of two bright optics flashing on in the dim light terrifies the diver just as deeply. Both parties swim away from the other in a panic, but of course the much larger bot sends the human spinning with their wake, something they notice once they get their wits about them and realize there's no threat.

Bot immediately feels guilty and helps human right themselves, and escorts them back to the surface when it becomes clear humans can't speak underwater. A host of apologies are exchanged, and when it's explained what the human was looking for the still regretful merformer produces some trinkets they pulled from an actual shipwreck as an apology. Human is delighted but says no payment is needed, though the bot insists and eventually the two get to talking about the ocean and the sights they've seen within.

As both are quite lonely, this immediately sparks a friendship. The human doesn't relate much to their kind, and the poor bot doesn't have many other merformers to hang out with on Earth. Eventually they decide they'd like to see one another again, and the bot even accompanies the human all the way to their dock to keep the conversation going... If they live on their boat, they might just have a little sleepover.

I can't even imagine how cute this might be. Swimming together, bot giving the human rides and showing them the best shipwrecks, the human bringing them fun things from land... All of it develops into the cutest romance.

[kuzann]

Finally able to freaking draw something thank you Danny Phantom for breaking my art block holy cow.

Danny gets the DJ Subatomic Supernova hoodie because DJ Sub would 100% be Danny's blorbo and also Danny deserves nice things! Probably gonna put lines and color on this one just to appreciate the full glory of the DJ Sub hoodie.

Sam from much later on in my AU fic talking to Allister about kicking someone's butt. (And a little sketch of the diver's Ghostbound Anchor. It's supposed to be a bit sharky.)

And last but not least the College Trio about to kick some ghost's butt with the dynamic that I CRAVE! Please let them be idiots together please please PLEASE it'll be so funny omg! They share one brain cell and Maddie has it all the time. Also WOW I super remember how to draw Vlad even after like over six years damn. First time drawing Jack and Maddie tho!

[illumins]

𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞—𝑙. 𝒉𝑎𝑒𝑐𝒉𝑎𝑛 (#⁰²)

✦trope: angst(car crash), contemporary

✦wordcount: 510

✧second pov

▬▭▬▭▬▭▬▭▬▭▬▭▬▭▬▭▬▭▬▭

The world is a blur, a swirling vortex of noise and confusion. Darkness presses in from all sides, suffocating and oppressive. Slowly, like a diver resurfacing from the depths of the ocean, consciousness begins to seep back into your mind.

At first, there is nothing but the dull throb of pain, a relentless pulse that reverberates through every fiber of your being. It consumes you, drowning out all other sensations until there is nothing left but the ache of your own existence.

But then, amidst the darkness, a flicker of light appears. It dances on the edges of your consciousness, drawing you closer with each passing moment. With a great effort, you reach out towards it, grasping desperately for something, anything, to anchor yourself to.

And then, like a bolt of lightning striking through the storm, it hits you. The crash. The screech of tires, the shattering of glass, the sickening crunch of metal against metal. It all comes rushing back in a torrent of memories, each one more vivid and terrifying than the last.

Your heart pounds in your chest, a frantic drumbeat that echoes in the silence of the night. With trembling hands, you reach out towards the source of the light, praying that it will lead you to safety in this sea of darkness.

And then, like a beacon in the night, you see him. Haechan, your love, lying unmoving amidst the wreckage of the car. His face is pale and drawn, his features twisted in pain. A surge of fear grips your heart, threatening to overwhelm you with its suffocating embrace.

With trembling hands, you reach out towards him, praying that he will respond, that he will open his eyes and smile at you like he always does. But there is no response, no flicker of recognition in those dark, empty eyes.

Panic rises within you like a tidal wave, threatening to engulf you in its icy embrace. "Haechan," you whisper, your voice barely a breath in the darkness. "Please, wake up. Please."

But he remains unmoving, his chest rising and falling in shallow, ragged breaths. Desperation claws at the edges of your consciousness, urging you to do something, anything, to save him from this nightmare.

With trembling hands, you reach out towards him, praying that he will respond, that he will open his eyes and smile at you like he always does. But there is no response, no flicker of recognition in those dark, empty eyes.

And then, like a dam breaking under the weight of its own sorrow, the tears come. They spill down your cheeks like rain, hot, and stinging against your skin. You cry out into the darkness, a desperate plea for someone, anyone, to save you from this nightmare.

But there is no one. There is only you and him, trapped together in this prison of pain and despair. And as the darkness closes in around you, you cling to him with all the strength you have left, praying that somehow, someway, you will find your way back to the light.

[softpawpup]

halloween costumes for shark regressors !!

a sailor shark

bruce, anchor or chum from nemo

jaws

lenny from sharktale

a scuba diver shark

sharpedo from pokemon

king shark from the dcu

jabberjaw

a fisherman shark

shark boy from shark boy and lava girl

beam from chainsaw man

megalo from one piece

a pirate shark

[xenodile]

Okay so recap on the Nikke summer event livestream:

New limited alts for Rosanna and Sakura

New seasonal costumes for Maiden, Guilty, and Viper

Viper will get a Favorite Item and new story to go with getting it

Dave the Diver collab with costumes for Mast and Anchor

Summer event will have its own fishing minigame

Another major collab event coming later this year

Poll for a free Red Hood costume since she won the last popularity contest

Livestream reward code "NIKKESUMMEREVENT2024" for 5 free pulls and other goodies

[horsesource]

“In order to make the tacit speak, what is required is to want, to do violence and to violate, and not at all a secret or something that would resist being said.” Fernand Deligny

“The Pequod’s whale being decapitated and the body stripped, the head was hoisted against the ship’s side—about half way out of the sea, so that it might yet in great part be buoyed up by its native element…that blood-dripping head..Silence reigned over the before tumultuous but now deserted deck. An intense copper calm, like a universal yellow lotus, was more and more unfolding its noiseless measureless leaves upon the sea. A short space elapsed, and up into this noiselessness came Ahab alone from his cabin…‘Speak, thou vast and venerable head,’ muttered Ahab, ‘speak, mighty head, and tell us the secret thing that is in thee. Of all divers, thou hast dived the deepest. That head upon which the upper sun now gleams, has moved amid this world’s foundations. Where unrecorded names and navies rust, and untold hopes and anchors rot; where in her murderous hold this frigate earth is ballasted with bones of millions of the drowned; there, in that awful water-land, there was thy most familiar home…O head! thou hast seen enough to split the planets and make an infidel of Abraham, and not one syllable is thine!’” Moby Dick